Readings
Reading I: 1 John 1:1-4 |
Preaching TipBeware of “Deepity” Preaching
A “deepity” is a statement that looks profound but is not. It is a term coined by an agnostic Daniel Dennet. He used this term to attack religion. Those who hold to this idea suggest that the work of theology is just a collection of “deepities”.
If this were true, this would mean our preaching is merely saying words that sound profound and truthful, but which are actually trivial and without meaning.
Of course, this isn’t true! But we as preachers need to be careful of overusing spiritualisms and crutch platitudes. Some of these are borderline “deepities”!
Consider these:
“Have faith in faith” or “Have hope in hope”. “Everything happens for a reason.” “The canvas of life is painted with the colors of God”. “Have an attitude of gratitude.”
While these phrases can be understood in a correct theological sense and certainly have depth to them, when overused they can fall into the “deepity” category.
One way to find out if we overuse some spiritual platitude or “deepity” is to record our homilies and listen to the last two minutes. This is when we are trying to “land” a homily and are searching for the right words. When we must search for words, we will tend to lean on our crutch words and phrases.
Modern man is going to need more than “deepities” if they are to recover a sense of God and faith. |